Richard James Meadows (June 16, 1931 – July 29, 1995) was a United States Army Special Forces officer who saw combat in Korea and Vietnam.

Meadows completed SAS training and was an acting troop leader for 12 months,[2] participating in field combat operations with the unit in Oman.

Meadows' SAS experience may have helped form the basis for future US Army Special Forces selection, training, and organizational structures.

[4] This 14-man team (plus pilots), code-named Blueboy, intentionally crash-landed an HH-3 helicopter right in the middle of the prison camp to achieve maximum surprise.

[5] In 1980, Meadows returned to service as a special consultant and, posing as an Irish businessman in the European automotive industry, provided covert reconnaissance of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran prior to and during Operation Eagle Claw, better known as the Iran Hostage Rescue mission.

Shortly before his death, H. Ross Perot rushed to convince President Bill Clinton to award Meadows the Presidential Citizens Medal.

It is contended by many in the Special Forces community that, had the entire contents of Meadows' military record been disclosed, he would have been awarded the Medal of Honor.

Nonetheless, the majority of Meadows' covert roles in Vietnam working with the CIA's Special Activities Division remain undisclosed.

Inside Delta Force : The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit (Dell mass market ed.).